Sound The Trumpet : Putin Positioning Himself As New Power Player in the Mideast, But to What End?

Must Listen

Must Read

What Art Thinks

Pre-Millennialism

Today's Headlines

Sorry... Not Available

Locally Contributed...

Audio

Video

Special Interest

Daily News

19954

“Putin Positioning Himself As New Power Player in the Mideast, But to What End?”
by flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com
September 24th, 2013

The Russian Bear is back.

A growing number of journalists, political leaders, and foreign policy analysts are noting that Vladimir Putin is aggressively positioning himself as a new and increasingly influential force on the global stage generally, and in the Middle East, in particular.

Consider recent headlines:

•Russia re-emerges as Mideast player (Associated Press)

•Putin shoves Obama aside as he seizes Syria agenda (New York Times)

•Syrian weapons deal helps Putin and Assad, say Russian observers (Los Angeles Times)

•Vladimir Putin New York Times op-ed sparks tension ahead of talks

•Sen. John McCain: Russia deserves better than Putin as president (UPI)

•Putin plans to diminish U.S., Obama (Clifford May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies)

Are such headlines warranted? I believe they are. The Russian leader had actually been fairly quiet over the last several years.

But he is suddenly re-asserting himself in international affairs with a boldness and an arrogance we have not seen in some time. Consider his moves just in recent days:

•Putin has announced he will soon make a state visit to Iran to further strengthen Russian ties to the Persian power.

•Putin and his team are hinting they will increase arms sales to Iran

•‘Russia to sell Iran anti-aircraft system, nuclear reactor’: S-300 deal said back on track; Moscow legislator threatens further weapons sales to Tehran if US strikes Syria

•Putin blames Israel for the Syrian stockpile of chemical weapons — “Putin said on Thursday that Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons stockpile only serves to make the Jewish state “a target” and creates ’foreign policy problems.’

Putin’s comments…came in response to questions from reporters on the US and Russia-brokered deal to put Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal under international supervision,” reported the Jerusalem Post.

•Amidst a growing movement at the United Nations to force Israel to disclose and destroy its alleged stockpiles of nuclear and chemical weapons, Putin seems to be positioning himself to be the “peace-maker” in the Middle East, the one trying to rid the epicenter of WMD, and thus a sharp critic of Israel’s unwillingness to discuss what strategic weapons systems it may or may not have. (shades of The Ezekiel Option?)

•Putin convinced Obama to strike a deal with Syria regarding chemical weapons, even though he says he’s not 100% sure Assad will actually comply — many analysts believe Putin has played the American President, prevented an American military strike, and protected Assad, a key Russian ally, from being toppled.

•Putin: Russia to reopen Soviet-era Arctic military base

•Putin has announced he is considering running for a 4th term — that would make him modern Russia’s longest serving leader since Stalin, but why announce this now when elections are not until 2018?

Such moves fit a clearly emerging pattern. As I recently mentioned in this blog, Putin smells blood in the water — he has used the Syrian crisis to seize global leadership from Obama. Consider some of the other moves he has made in recent weeks:

•granted former-NSA contractor Edward Snowden asylum in Russia and refused to extradite him to the U.S.

•hosted the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia

•insisted Obama and U.S. has no evidence of chemical weapons being used by the Assad regime

•called Kerry a liar

•moved Russian warships into the Med

•promised to resupply Assad in case of war with the U.S.

Where is all this headed? What are Putin’s objectives? What will he do next? It’s hard to say at the moment, but Putin’s moves are troubling and it’s important to be watching him closely.

Some are asking me if Putin’s moves are leading us rapidly to the fulfillment of Bible prophecies, such as those found in Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, what Bible scholars call the coming “War of Gog & Magog.”

In such prophecies, a Russian dictator forms an alliance with Iran and other Middle Eastern and North African countries to attack Israel in the “last days” of history before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Others are asking me if Putin is “Gog,” the Russian dictator of whom Ezekiel writes. My answer is that it is too early to draw such conclusions.

Putin is certainly Gog-esque. That is, he is making moves that would be consistent with the preparing for the fulfillment of Ezekiel prophecies. That said, we must be cautious.

We simply don’t have enough data yet to draw conclusions. It is important not to overreach. Perhaps someone far worse is going to emerge to lead Russia. Perhaps the fulfillment of the Gog & Magog prophecies is still many years off.

The important thing is to:

1. help more Christians and non-Christians become aware of the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39

2.keep a close eye on Putin and his colleagues in the Kremlin

3.watch particularly to see if Putin intensifies his alliance with Iran, and begins taking the lead in denouncing Israel and calling for Israel to be disarmed

4.pray for Putin and for the people of Russia

5.continue praying for Netanyahu and the people of Israel

6.pray for the Khamenei, Rouhani and the people of Iran

7.encourage and strengthen the Church in the Middle East and in Russia, so that they can be a light in the darkness right now, regardless of how soon or faraway the prophecies will come to pass.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13